Browns: Everyone on board but Brady

The buzz is back, sans Brady Quinn.
After an anxious period when their top three draft picks were unsigned and therefore unable to participate in rookie sessions this week, the Cleveland Browns persuaded No. 3 overall draft pick Joe Thomas and second-round pick Eric Wright to agree to basic contract terms.
If both sign before 3:30 p.m. today, as sources said they probably would, they will be eligible for the first full-squad practice of training camp, scheduled for 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
That leaves No. 22 overall pick Quinn as the only unsigned Brown, rookie or otherwise.
Getting Thomas in this early is huge. The team entered the offseason desperate to upgrade its offensive line, and he now projects as this year’s starting left tackle. That would move Kevin Shaffer into a competition with Ryan Tucker at right tackle, with Tucker seen as more able than Shaffer to slide to right guard.
Avoiding a holdout with Wright is nearly as big. The Browns were injury-ravaged at cornerback in 2006, and Wright comes in as the best combination of size and athleticism among corners in camp.
Indications are getting Quinn under contract may not take longer than the weekend. Quinn wants to be paid better than his draft position, but the Browns have leverage because he is behind Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson, both of whom have made NFL starts, on the in-house depth chart.
Quinn could move up the chart but not if he holds out for more than a few days.
Meanwhile, the Browns figure to open camp with a PUP list as imposing as Clifford the giant red dog.
The list, short for physically unable to perform, figures to include:
- Tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., the team’s top draft pick in 2004.
- Cornerback Gary Baxter, the centerpiece of the 2005 free agency class.
- Center LeCharles Bentley, the marquee man among 2006 free agents.
All three are recovering from injuries. The list is a formality to the extent players can be removed from it at any time.
Canton (Ohio) Repository
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com.